Do you ever feel like you’re the only one trying to do the right thing?
Maybe you’re striving for purity, but you’re easily discouraged after seeing your classmates’ seductive Instagram posts.
Maybe you’re aspiring to have a cheerful attitude while you’re doing your chores, but you’re the only one that cares enough to try.
Maybe you’re attempting to do your best on your math homework, but your classmates make it painfully obvious that they don’t care about school.
Sometimes the Christian life feels like a duty rather than a privilege. We can get discouraged when we look at how much fun everyone else seems to be having, and wonder why we’re even trying to follow God. We sometimes think, “Everyone else is having fun. Why can’t we?”
But when we look at God, the Creator of righteousness, we find it was never supposed to be a duty. It was meant to be a joy.
Here’s three reasons why we can find joy in doing what’s right.
Remember We’re doing the right thing for God’s glory
When we’re doing the right thing for ourselves, we can be easily disappointed, because there is often hardly any reward. But when we’re doing it to glorify God, we can find joy because we’re doing it for our Master and Creator.
We know that when we “work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men”(Colossians 3:23). We’re doing the right thing for a worthwhile cause.
Instead of focusing on bringing temporary glory to ourselves, we can dedicate ourselves to bringing everlasting glory to God.
Remember This world is not our home
Persevering in following God instead of following the trends and fads of this world will make us look different than everyone else. This is a completely natural part of the Christian life. If we’re not standing out, how can we be a light for Christ?
If we spend our whole lives constantly trying to copy all of the latest styles from Teen Vogue or look like the Kardashians, imagine how out of place we’ll feel in heaven!
When we persist in choosing the right thing, even when it feels hard or excessive, people will notice, and they’ll ask why we’re different.
Jesus commands us to “let our light shine before others, so that they may see our good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
I know that when I choose to do the right thing, it sometimes seems odd or out of place. People don’t understand why I wake up extra-early every morning to read my Bible before school, or why I would “waste my time” studying to do my best on the science test.
I want them to know that this world is not my home. When I choose to do the right thing even when it’s different, I’m showing the world that I want to live for a higher purpose.
Remember We have hope for eternity
Choosing to do the right thing, even when no one else does, can be really hard.
But one day, it’s not going to be just us. One day, we’re going to be in heaven, praising and worshiping with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
This really puts it in perspective for me. I have hope that one day, I will be rewarded by an eternity spent with our Creator.
That’s something to rejoice about!By doing what’s right even in the monotonous everyday life, we’re showing the world that we trust in Jesus and we have hope for an eternity spent with Him. Click To Tweet
By doing what’s right even in the monotonous everyday life, we’re showing the world that we trust in Jesus and we have hope for an eternity spent with Him.
Choosing to rebel against the status quo by doing what’s right feels hard in the moment, but it’s so worth it.
We can dress modestly with confidence even if we’re made fun of because of it. We can happily pursue godliness even though we’re surrounded by non-believers. We can choose not to date if it would be a temptation, even when everyone else is dating.
We can find joy in doing what’s right, because we have the hope that one day, Christ will come again and make all of our efforts worthwhile.
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).
